If you love the outdoors and the environment, you likely feel like those two things should go hand-in-hand. But when you’re looking for sustainable outdoor gear that ships to Canada, it’s not as easy as you thought. We’ve put together a short list of brands doing their part to be eco-friendly and completely vegan. They sell boots, winter jackets, and outdoor gear. Best of all, they are either Canadian or ship to you in Canada.
How We Made Our Pick
Sustainability
Sustainable brands care about both people and the environment. Everyone across their supply chain is paid a living wage and allowed to join a union. Any brand that participates in child labour, forced labour, or unsafe work environment is not considered entirely sustainable.
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Sustainable brands care about reducing their carbon footprint. They are working to reduce carbon emissions and impacts on waterways and dispose of chemicals safely. They also use non-plastic packaging and recycled material whenever possible.
Vegan
As part of our effort to source sustainable products, all brands are also vegan. That means that these brands don’t sell anything containing animal products or by-products. No leather, down, or wool, and no adhesives or dyes that contain animal products either.
Although many mainstream brands have a sustainable/vegan product line, we only included brands that are 100% committed to sustainability for all their products. We checked the website Good on You to find third-party information on the brands we selected.
Canadian
We tried to find as many Canadian brands as possible for you to choose from. Of course, not all these brands are based in Canada, but all offer free, or affordable, shipping.
Top Five Sustainable Outdoor Brands for Canadians
Canadian-Based Footwear: Alice + Whittles
This Toronto-based shoe company, Alice + Whittles, is a female-owned, POC-led company that has a great options for hiking boots. Rated “good” on the sustainability scale for their ethical labour practices, recycling, and hand-made products, which reduce their climate impact. In fact, Alice + Whittles uses 98% virgin plastic free materials. Be aware that all the fur, wool, down, etc., is vegan, but the one or two leather shoes they sell are made from recycled leather. Plus, Canadians get free shipping on all orders over $100.
Canadian-Based Outerwear: Wuxly Movement
Wuxly Movement is a Toronto-based outerwear company that specializes in cruelty-free jackets and coats. They use tech-based and recycled materials limiting the number of chemicals, water, and wastewater used in production. Wuxly also manufactures most of their coats in Canada, using a Canadian workforce. They are also entirely vegan, with orders over $250 shipping for free.
For Activewear: Plant Athletic
Plant Athletic, formally Vegan Athletic, is an American-based activewear company emphasizing cycling, running, and triathlon gear. They’re committed to encouraging others to adopt a plant-based, sustainable lifestyle. As well as striving to be zero waste and use no plastic wrapping or tags to reduce their carbon footprint.
For Outerwear: Save the Duck
Save the Duck is an Italian-based company, voted PETA’s Company of the Year in 2019. The brand features a wide variety of products you can use on your outdoor adventures. Despite ranking high on animal safety, using eco-friendly materials, and minimizing chemical use, they do not disclose their labor and textile waste statistics. In addition, their coats are more widely available; they can be purchased online or at Hudson’s Bay in Canada.
For Footwear: Will’s Vegan Store
Will’s Vegan Store sells a wide variety of sustainable footwear. Although it’s based out of the UK, they offer free shipping to Canada. Although Will’s Vegan Store is entirely vegan and uses recycled rubber. Will’s Vegan Store does state whether it minimizes chemical and water use in its production.
Do you have any favourite brands that ship to Canada? Let us know in the comments below!
